Trenchless Water Main Point Repairs with SuperLaminate

Aging infrastructure is a major challenge faced by the water utilities in the USA and across the globe, and with an overall rating of D by the ASCE, water distribution systems are no exception. Approximately 240,000 water main breaks occur in US systems every year with a cost of at least $3.6 billion. As such, innovative, economical, and sustainable solutions are needed in renewing the water transmission and distribution pipes as well as repairing water main breaks. QuakeWrap, Inc.’s founder, Dr. Mo Ehsani, PE, SE developed a trenchless point repair technology using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates. The SuperLaminate® system can span gaps and structures along a pipe and has been installed in many gas main repairs, since 2010 mainly due to its ability to get across drip pots. Now QuakeWrap® ’s goal is to adapt this technology to water main point repairs with the support from USEPA’s Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) program. The SuperLaminate® system will substantially reduce the water main repair costs with minimal disruption to traffic and impact to surface conditions. The system is a green solution with a carbon footprint that is as low as 30 percent of the conventional, open-cut repairs.